Ridgecrest Camps

Wow, camp is quiet without all of you here… While Camp is recovering and preparing for your return, here are 3 things to know….

THINK ABOUT YOUR LAST bad day. Maybe it started when you got to school and one of your friends said something hurtful. Maybe someone you respected embarrassed you in front of everyone. Maybe everything that could go wrong did. And then, finally, tired of it all, you smarted off to your parents. When confronted about it, you said, “I just had a bad day.”

Does a bad day justify bad behavior? No. But, when we go through trials, it is easy to blame God, get mad at Him, or even justify sinful behavior simply because we’re going through a hard time.

Read James 1:12-15, focusing on verse 13.

What did James mean when he said, “Blessed is a man who endures trials”?

Why do we tend to blame God for bad things that happen?

According to these verses, does God ever tempt us to sin? Explain.

What is the promise in these verses for those who endure trials?

You’ve heard it a bunch over the past few week’s devotions: tough times will come your way. But today’s Scripture passage makes it clear that hard times never justify sinful behavior. In fact, trials never produce sinful behavior. It is our reaction to the trials that can lead us to sin. By blaming God, we are simply trying to justify our sinful actions.

God doesn’t tempt us. And while He doesn’t cause every trial that comes our way, He can use them as an opportunity for our growth.

Could there be anything better to give than the chance for a child to have a life changing experience at camp? We believe that this is perhaps the best way for you to give your resources. Ridgecrest Summer Camps is committed to continuing to give away about $80,000 in scholarships each year. Currently we receive maybe half that amount in donations. We need to close that gap! Please consider giving so that we can continue to offer financial aid to campers in need.

So for the past few days, campers at Camp Ridgecrest have had the chance to experience some pretty incredible activities. Saturday morning started off with a Sockwar – perhaps the most popular activity at camp. That evening Crestridge came over for Carnival…where we bring the carnival to camp! We have about 10  rides, snow cones, cotton candy, a dunking booth, tons of games, food, and more. As if that wasn’t enough, Sunday night rounded out the weekend with Council Ring. This is a special time where campers get to do something that they can’t experience anywhere else. Check out this video to see what I’m talking about…

So, water balloons aren’t a new thing. But what happens when you give a group of kids well over 13,000 water balloons. After the game was finished, our second count of balloons estimated closer to 15,000 water balloons….all for one game here at Camp Ridgecrest! I guarantee that this is a game that they won’t experience anywhere else… Check out this short video of the game we call Guerilla Warfare.

Another action packed day here at Camp Ridgecrest. What’s the secret to an awesome day at camp? 1) Do something that they can’t do anywhere else 2) Surprise them…especially those kids who think that have you figured out 3) Make them laugh 4) Let them do it along side young adults that will love them no matter what they do….not a bad way to spend a summer day in the mountains…

Enjoying a perfect summer day here at Camp Ridgecrest is easy with some of the best camp-wide games ever created. Another camper favorite, “Gold Rush” has been around Camp Ridgecrest for years. See a few of the game highlights here!

This is what happens when you get over 12,000 water balloons onto one field with 242 kids! These shots are but a taste of the fun that was had! Enjoy!

Saturdays are a ton of fun here at Camp Ridgecrest! A combination of Sockwar, an original camp Ridgecrest creation that is always a camper favorite, plus… Carnival! We actually create and bring in an entire carnival … rides, food, games, tickets/Ron Dollars…with Crestridge here as well…it’s a fun evening.

As you know Seth, Kathleen and Wayne have been our interns throughout this off season.  They don’t stay at camp 24/7 despite what some of you may think.  They like to get out in the community and participate in random events.  One thing we were apart of this Spring is the Black Mountain Dodgeball League.  We played 1 day a week for 6 weeks and played against other teams made up of Black Mountain citizens.  It was so much fun to get out and feel like we were kids again!  We ended the season with a tournament in which we took some video clips.  Take a look!

We actually never won a game which became a running joke, but it was such a fun season!  We’ll get ‘em in the fall!